BY NOW, YOU'VE PROBABLY NOTICED that Intel's Pentium M is gaining attention as a desktop processor, both in desktop motherboards and even in small form factor systems. One problem, however, has been the accompanying laptop chipset, which means greater expense as well as lesser performance relative to other desktop solutions.

Asus has decided to do something about that requirement in rather inventive fashion. The CT-479 is an adapter card that plugs into the processor socket of certain Asus Socket 478 motherboards and converts them to a Socket 479 configuration capable of accepting a Pentium M. This adapter neatly solves both the price and performance issues, the latter by supplying a dual-channel memory configuration unavailable in the Intel 855GME laptop chipset.

How well does the CT-479 adapt the Pentium M for desktop use? We're about to find out.

A look at the CT-479
Asus sells the CT-479 separately, allowing you to choose the motherboard for yourself. A list of the motherboards currently supported can be found here. Since support for the CT-479 requires a BIOS upgrade, it's unlikely that you'll be seeing CT-479 support on any non-Asus motherboards in the future.

The BIOS upgrade could prove to be an interesting problem. If your board doesn't have a recent BIOS version, you will likely need a Socket 478 CPU long enough to update the BIOS.